Mass Flow Controllers

Added: Jul 12, 2016 3:54 pm

The Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) located administratively within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA), Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR) intends to purchase mass flow controllers for air and CO2 for a tank experiment.  The items are manufactured by Aalborg Instruments and Controls Inc. located in Orangeburg, NY.  

The Aalborg Instruments and Controls Inc. has been identified as the only known source that can provide the needed items as specified below that will also meet the Government’s intended use. Their controllers have the level of accuracy (±1.0%) and repeatability (±0.25% of full scale) NOAA/OAR requires for their experiment and are their controllers are unaffected by temperature (32F to 122F and pressure 1000 psig (70 bars) maximum) variations within standard limitations which will also be important for the needs of this project. 

Any attempt to reproduce this item from a source other than Aalborg Instruments and Controls Inc. would require that the Government re-qualify the item at considerable cost to the Government whose cost savings could not be recovered using open competition.  If the NOAA/AOML cannot procure the needed mass flow controllers, it will have a negative impact on their ability to standardize the tank experiment because utilizing different products can cause fluctuations in data which makes it difficult for researchers to determine if the change is because of the environment or the products. NOAA/OAR already owns one of each of the items listed below, additional units are required to maintain consistency.  By using the same system we can determine that the changes are due to the environment, and therefore no harm to the government or the project. 

The requirements for the items are as follows: 

Ø  Mass Flow Controllers

o   Quantity of 15

o   Aalborg Instruments and Controls Inc. Catalog # 3AB-09-SS, AAL-KIT-GFCS, GFC17A-VAL6-E0

o   P/n  GFCS-011391

Ø  Insulating Plate

o   Quantity of 15

o   Aalborg Instruments and Controls Inc. Catalog # GFC17A-VAL6-E0, 3CA-02-SS, AAL-KIT-GFCS

o   P/n  GFCS-019335

Ø  Shipping Charges 

All items shall be delivered to the U.S. Department of Commerce/NOAA/Atlantic Oceanographic Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) located at 4301 Rickenbacker Causeway, Miami, FL 33149.

The Government is not aware of any other vendors that can provide this specialized piece of equipment while also meeting all of the requirements listed above.

The intended procurement is for the equipment for a tank experiment.  The Government intends to acquire under the guidelines of FAR Part 13, Simplified Acquisitions Procedures and FAR Part 12 Commercial Items.  The Government intends to solicit and negotiate with the only known source (Aalborg Instruments and Controls Inc.) under the authority of FAR 13.106-1(b)(1)(i).  All proposals received prior to the proposals and there is no solicitation available at this time.  The Government reserves the right to solicit quotes based on the receipt of affirmative responses to this notice or issue a purchase order to Aalborg Instruments and Controls Inc. whichever is determined to be more advantageous to the Government without further notice.  A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed contract based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government.  Information received will normally be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement.  In order to be considered, firms must furnish detailed information concerning their capability to provide the needed mass flow controllers.  Interested firms should submit its name, address, point of contact, telephone number, and a brief statement regarding its capability to provide the mass flow controllers that provide the same form, fit and function as the equipment specified above.  Any responses that provide for mass flow controllers other than that specified must be accompanied by descriptive literature and show it meets the same form, fit and function.  Please include the name, telephone number, and point of contact for businesses or other Government agencies to which your company has previously provided the proposed replacement parts. 

Offerors may send their proposal via email only to james.d.moore@noaa.gov.  The NAICS code for this requirement is 334513. The NWS special packaging/marking requirement will be applicable.  All responsible sources may submit requested information which will be considered by the Agency.  All contractors doing business with this Contracting Office (Eastern Region Acquisition - Kansas City Division) must be registered with the System for Award Management (SAM) website.  Vendors can register with SAM at the following website https://www.sam.gov/